Mechanism for separating stones and other debris from potatoes in a potato harvester



' V. J CHA CHANISM FOR SEPARATING STONES AND OTHER DEBRIS March 25, 15358 KoMu R 2,828,012 FROM PoTA'roEs 1N A PoTATo HARVESTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 2. 1952 P@ c).A Pm

March 25, 1958 v J. KoMcHA Filed Dee.` 2, 1952 R 2,828,012 MECHANISM FOR SEPARATING STONES AND OTHER DEBRIS FROM POTATOES IN A POTATO HARVESTER 2 Sheets-streeft 2 nite Brookfield, Ill., assigner to Inter- Victor J. Komuchar,

a corporation of New national Harvester Company, Jersey Application December 2, 1952, Serial No. 323,531 15 Claims. (Cl. 29-72) This invention relates to potato harvesters and more particularly to a novel mechanism-for mechanically separating stones, dirt, clods and other debris from harvested potatoes. j i

A general object of the invention is to devise an eflicient mechanical separating means wherein the debris is moved to a separating mechanism which functions to sweep through the debris and roll the potatoes out therefrom.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide such a sorting mechanism incorporating ra platform with a moving surface, the platform carrying an endless hay assembly which sweeps transversely thereof over the moving' surface to roll out the potatoes from the debris over a series of hurdles so positioned as to accommodate the potatoes to roll thereover while substantially stopping stones, which because of their higher specific gravity than the potatoes and their generally at nonrolling contours are prevented from vaulting over these hurdles.

A further vobject of the invention is to devise such a platform which is tiltably mounted longitudinally thereof so as to ce adjustable angularly to the horizontal in conformance with the specic'eld conditions under which the mechanism is operating in order to obtain the most efficient sorting of the potatoes, the tilting of the platform retarding or overcoming the forces tending to hold the potatoes to the platform so as to keep them rolling laterally across the surface for ready separation from the other debris.

A still further object of the invention is to mount the separating means for movement toward and away from the platform surface so as to bring the ails closer or farther from the surface and thus aiford a specific adjustment for particular conditions encountered so that the flails operate most efficiently inpicking the potatoes out of the debris without sweeping the debris also laterally off the platform.

A further object of the invention is to devise a novel adjustable mounting for the hurdles such that they may be positioned closer or farther away from the platform surface in order to present a greater or lesser obstruction to the movement of the aggregate laterally across the platform and at the same time present minimum retardation to the movement or tumbling of the potatoes thereover thereby effecting an efficient separation of the potatoes from the aggregate.

A still further object of the invention is to devise the flay assembly in such manner that the aggressiveness of the mechanism gradually decreases as the aggregate progressively advances laterally therethrough.

A still further object of the invention is to devise a sorting mechanism incorporating the moving platform surface wherein means are provided to funnel and deposit the aggregate at one end of the platform along one edge thereof so that the aggregate is concentrated along said edge as it is passed under the separator and the separator thus operates upon the aggregate across the entire lateral extent of the moving surface while the said aggregate is being moved through the separator.

tates Patent Mig Patented Mar. 25, 1958 These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent from the specification and the drawings wherein:

Figure l is a front perspective view of a novel potato harvester incorporating the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan View of the separating mechanism shown inassociation with fragmentary `other parts of the harvester; and,

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Describing the invention in detail, the potato harvester generally designated 1 comprises a wheeled framework 2 carrying a harvesting mechanism 3 which delivers to an elevator conveyor 4, the latter discharging onto a chute structure 5 which discharges onto one end 6 of a platform conveyor generally designated 7 and comprising an apron 8 having a top run or surface 9 moving'in the direction of the arrow toward the opposite end 10. The platform 7 carries the rolls 11 and 12 supporting opposite ends of the apron and said platform having upstanding side shields 1 3 and i4 extending upwardly above the surface 9 along the lateral edges thereof to confine the material discharged from the chute 5 onto said receiving end 6 of the run 9 of the apron conveyor.

T he panel or sideboard 14 carries a baffle or upstanding plate l5 `over the top surface '9 at said end 6 and the baffle 15 is angled from the sideboard 14 toward the opposite sideboard 13 in the direction toward thedischarge end of the platform conveyor 7. Thus, it will be seen that all of the material deposited on the end 6 of the conveyor will be funneled toward the first lateral edge 16 o-f the platform conveyor and will thus be concentrated as it passes under the separator or sorting mechanism generally designated 17 which is mounted over the surface 9 and has a flay assembly 18 with an orbital path l moving in the direction of the arrow in intercepting relationship to the mass moving thereunder on the surface 9. For purpose of clarity the flay assembly will be designated as having an entering end 19 whereat it begins to sweep over the edge lr6 of the table and a leaving end 20 whereat it leaves the second or opposite discharge edge 21 of said surface 9 of the platform conveyor.

The endless ay assembly or sorting mechanism 18 comprises a` pair of lateral frames 22 and 23 which mount or rotatably journal adjacent to opposite ends sprocketed shaft assemblies 23 and 24- about which are trained a pair of endless chains 25' and 26 interconnected by a plurality of substantially equally spaced cross-bars 27, 27 and each cross-bar is connected along its length to the inner ends of a plurality of iiays 23, 23 which extend outwardly from the assembly and are formed of flexible material such as tire carcass.

It will be seen that the flays or impellers 28, 28 are preferably more closely spaced to each other longitudinally of the bars 27 adjacent to the first end 30 of the separator which is positioned adjacent to the receiving end 6 of said conveyor and that these flays 28, 2S are more widely spaced in the direction toward the opposite end of said ay assembly. The reason for this disposition is to make the iay assembly more aggressive at its intake end 30 than at its discharge end 3l so that the flays will beat up and roll out the potatoes from the aggregate as soon as each new mass increment is entered into the intake end of the separator so that fewer and fewer potatoes remain in the aggregate as each increment passes or moves closer and closer to the discharge end of the sepaartor whereby the function of the more widely spaced flails at the discharge end of the separator is more in the nature of a scavenging action to bat out whatever potatoes may be left without materially disturbing the remaining aggregate such as dirt and stones and the like.

ice

In order to meet varying field conditions wherein at times the `potatoes are relatively free from the other aggregate and at times closely packed in with the aggregate or'theraggregate may have a clay-like composition, the sorting mechanism is adjustable relative to the surface 9`of the conveyor table, this adjustment comprising a pivotal mounting of each frame member 22 and `23 on a generally horizontal axis 3-3 by means ofdepending ears on these frame members connected by pins to thev upper ends oflupstanding standards 34 carried` bythe platform 7. It will be seen that the axis of pivot 33 is disposed along the first edge 16 of the platform and thatthe flay assembly is thus swingable up and down with-respect to the surface 9.

Themechanism 33' for swinging theflay assembly up and down comprises the shaft 24 uponwhich the chain carrying sprockets kare rotatably mounted, the shaft 24 being keyedto pinions 34 which mesh within racks 35 upstanding from and carried by theV framingv of .theplatform.7 adjacentor :along its edge 21. The mechanism 33' includes'an .arm 36 connected at its inner end to the shaft 24 and jhaving a detent lock 37 ,cooperatively associatedvwith. a quadrant 38 carried on the. adjacent frame member 22. It will be appreciated Vthat swinging of .the arm member 36in a downward direction willlower the aggregate. It will be readily understood that under certain conditions the table would have to be inclined at a greater angle than'under Very light conditions and that this angle is determined by the actual trial in the field such that all of the aggregatewill not slide olthe discharge edge 21 of the conveyor and yet be suciently steep enough to eifect'ready separation and obtain good rolling action of the potatoes laterally across the condischarge end 20 of the tlay assembly towardvthe surface 9 and thatrotating the `arm 36 in an upward direction will of course raise said end 20 from the surface 9. Thus when an extremely heavy mass conditionis encountered theA ay assembly may be positionedin. lowered location and when anextremely light condition is encountered the ilay assembly may be disposed in elevated position or in any intermediate location where .the field trail will indicateoest operation.

The platform or table 7 comprises an .underframing 40 with a depending earV 41 adjacent to each end and each` ear is pivoted on a substantially horizontal axis as at 42V to an associated frame member 43 upstanding from and connected to .the framing 2. TheseA ears 41 and pivots 42 afford an axis of pivot for the table 7 longitudinally thereof that is in the directionor along the direction of movementiof the surfaceV 9 at the inboard or discharge edge 21 of 'the table.

Lateral tilting of .the table'is effected by an operating linkage generally designated 45 (Figure l) and comprising a quadrant'46-carried by a framemember. 47, ther quadrant presenting detent means cooperable with a lock on an operating lever 48 which is pivoted as at 49 at its elbow, the. opposite endv of the lever 48 being pivoted as at 50 to one endof aV rod 51 which at its opposite endis pivotedA as at 52 totthe lower end of a pivoted at its elbow by means of adjacent frame 43. The oppositek end of the bell-crank 53y is pivoted'at 55 tothe .lowerf'end ofy a depending ear 56 on the framework 40 of 4theconveyortable 7 at one end thereof. The rock-shaft 54 extends tothe other framer43andis journaled thereonand is rigidly secured bell-crank 53 which is toan arm 57 pivoted'at its outer end asatSS to the lower end of adepending ear or lug 59 on theunderframe'40 of the table adjacent to itsopposite end.-

It. will be appreciated` that rotation of the handle part of the'lever 48vin-a downward direction (Figure l)- will lower the outboard'edge 16V of thepla'tformand that moving said handle portion of thev lever 48 in an upward direction will swing theoutboard sideof the table upwardly.

Thelateral tilting of theA table is effectual to coordinate the Aaction ofthe sorting mechanism with the mass conditions encounteredv in the eld. -It will be understood that by tilting the outboard edge 16 of the tableupwardly a critical angle of inclination towardthe discharge edge of the table may be established whereat inertia forces and lfrictional forces tending to hold the potatoes `to the moving surface of the table are substantially neutralized or overcome to facilitate rolling out the potatoes fromy the a1 rock shaft 54 to thev veyor belt. Y

Inr addition toL the ail assembly, the separator mechanism comprises a series of hurdles 60, 60 placed longitudinally in the direction of travel of the bottom run 61 of the ail assembly which sweeps laterally across the top run 9 of the apron fromthe edge 16 to the edge 21 thereof, and these hurdles are preferably located in the area intermediate the longitudinal medial line of the table and its discharge edge21 andare constituted each of a rod comprising a bottom cross-piece 62 (Fig. 2) extending over the surface 9 adjacent thereto and presenting a height such thatthe flays 28 sweep yand tumble the potatoes thereover while said cross-bars stop stones and dirt and the like, in viewofV the fact that the stones are at and will not roll vover and the dirt will pack thereagainst. The cross-bars 62 extend transversely of the direction or orbital pathof theay assembly and at opposite ends project outwardlyof the frame-members 22 and 23 and at said end each has upstanding legs 63, 63 which slidably project through guides 64, 64 connected to the members 22 and.23. The upper ends of the legs 63, 63 are provided with eyes 64 through adjacent of which extends rodv65', ther-rod 65Y whichv extends through the eyes of adjacent legs 63 projects at opposite ends into vertically elongated slots 66 in brackets 67, 67 mounted upon the related member V22 orf23.

A parallelogram `linkage generally designated 68` is carried by eachv member 22 and 273 and-each linkage comprises a pair of parallel members 69, 69 spaced longi-V tudinally of the member 22 or123 and pivoted thereto at their lower ends as at 70, the'links 69, 69 being pivoted as at. 7.2, 72 to spools 73, 73 sleeved'onthe adjacent rod 65 spaced .longitudinally thereof. It willV be vnoted that onel of the; link members. 69 extends upwardly from the point 72" and'providesa convenient handle for manipulation. It will beappreciated that the parallelogram linkage will effect parallel up and .down movement of the hurdle assembly constituted of the hurdle members 60, 60.

The table at its end'10 from the side 31 of the separator is provided with a baille 75 which may be carried from the'side board 13 the baie 75 extending from the edge I3 ,at the side 3'1-of the separator and angling in the direction toward' the discharge end of the conveyor in converging relationship to the edge 21 thereof. The functionof the baille 75 which extends upwardly over the sur face 94 in intercepting. relationship to the aggregate moving outfrom undertheseparator is to funnelA it into a chute76 which discharges the aggregateupon the ground. It will be-'not'ed that the edge 21 ofthe conveyor at the end 1'0 thereof andthe portion in alignment with the separator 17v has a discharge into a receivingmeans`77 in the nature-of an elevator conveyor for delivering the potatoes to'associated'receptacles-such asV bags or a truck.

The drive for thevarious components herein describedl may commence from associated mechanisml transmitting drive through aV shaft 79 anda sprocket and chain assemblyiStl to av counter-.shaft--81 which may be supported from the framework 4l) b emeathl the portion 10 of the table, the shaft 8i' provided with a gear 82 meshing with a gear SBkeyed to a shaft`8`4 of the roll 12 and driving the apron' 7 -in4v the direction of the arrow. The shaft 84 is providedwith'a sprocket 'driving through a chain and sprocket assembly 86 and avgear train 87 the shaft'23 of the llail assemblyy whereat it orbits inV the directions of the arrows. The c'ornpon'ent 4 will be driven from the same source through azchainand sprocket assembly 88.

The entire machine of'which: this inventionV4 is a COU)-v in a companionl applica- R. Raney, et al., entitled Potato Harvester, filed December 2, 1952, Serial No, l

323,535 and now Patent No. 2,726,501.`

I claim: i

1. In a potato harvester separating mechanism for sorting potatoes from a dirt and stone and the like aggregate, a frame, a conveyor carried thereby comprising a generally horizontal apron having a top run with longitudinally spaced receiving and discharge areas and movable to transport aggregate deposited thereupon from said re,- ceiving to said discharge area, a separator structure above the conveyor disposed in a position betweeny said areas and including an endless yieldable ilail assembly having an endless path andincluding sweeping means having a portion in said path disposed in sweeping relationship to said top run and movable transversely thereof from one lateral edge to the other thereof and adapted to tumble the potatoes out of the aggregate, and a series of hurdles carried by the structure and extending generally parallel to the direction of movement of said run and transversely to the direction of movement of saidportion of said ail assembly, sweeping means athwart the same and spaced slightly above said top run and affording atplurality of obstacles to the aggregate being swept thereagainst by said ail assembly, sweeping means to stop stones and dirt while the potatoes tumble thereover.

2. A sorting device for harvested potatoes and the like adapted to receive thereon rocks and clods of earth and other debris along with the potatoes to be separated therefrom, comprising a platform member having a mov-` ing surface adapted to advance the material deposited thereon to a position for discharging the material upon the ground, and a driven assembly mounted upon the platform in intercepting relationship to the material deposited upon the moving surface thereof, said assembly having a part thereon adapted to engage the material and movable in a path transversely of said surface Vat an angular velocity such that said part is caused to strike the potatoes and roll them in ra lateral direction transversely of the direction of travel of the platform surface, Va hurdle, means mounting the hurdle slightly above said surface athwart said path of said part and said direction of movement of the potatoes and positioned at a height above the surface to permit the potatoes to roll thereover while obstructing such movement of the stones anddebris.

3. A sorting device for harvested potatoes and the like adapted to receive thereon rocks and clods of earth and other debris along with the potatoes to be separated therefrom, comprising a platform member having opposite lateral edges and a surface therebetween adapted to j advance the material thereon from one area to another spaced longitudinally thereof, an endless drive assembly mounted upon the platform over said surface and having a path moving in a direction angularly as respects the direction of movement of said surface and comprising a series of outwardly projecting flexible members, `said assembly having a rectilinear length disposed above-said surface between said areas and extending from one lateral edge to the other andthe members thereof along said length extending toward said surface in combing relation with and in the path moving surface of the platform member, said endless assembly having an extensive active `quadrangulary area along said length superposed with respect to said surface and extending dimensionally parallel with and transversely to said direction of movement of said` surface and having movement at a velocity such as to drag and roll the potatoes in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of the platform surface for the major portion of the width of said surface upon engagement of the members of the assembly with the potatoes in the material passing therebeneath, and said assembly comprising a hurdle extending generally parallel to the direction of movement of the platform surfaceclosely thereto and of the material deposited upon the.

` cient to yield upon encountering an obstruction of bedisposed between said rectilinear length and said surface in the path kof movement of said members along said length and at a height intermediate the ends of said members in said length` 4. A sorting device for harvested potatoes and the like adapted to receive thereon rocks and clods of earth and other debris along with the potatoes to be separated therefrom, comprising a platform member having opposite lateral edges and a surface therebetween adapted to advance the material thereon from one area to another spaced longitudinally thereof, an endless drive assembly mounted upon the platform over said surface and having a path moving in a direction angularlyfas respects the di-y Y rection"'of movement of said surface and comprising a series of outwardly projecting flexible members, said assembly having a rectilinear length disposed above said surface between said areas and extending from one lateral edge to the other and the members thereof along said length extending toward said surface in combing relation with and in the path of the material deposited upon the moving surface of the platform member, said endless assembly having an extensive active quadrangular area along said length ysuperposed with respect to said surface and extending dimensionally parallel withV and transversely to said direction of movement of said surface and having movement at a velocity such as to drag and roll the potatoes in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of the platform surface for the major portion of the width of said surface upon engagement of the members of the assembly with the potatoes inthe material passing therebeneath, and said assembly/@comprising a series of hurdle elements elongated longitudinally as respects to the direction of travel of said surface and positioned slightly above the surface between said length and said surface and at a height in the path of movement of said members along said length, said members along said length adapted to sweep over said hurdles and said hurdles having an extent away from the surface such as to permit potatoes to tumble thereo-ver while substantially stopping the other debris.

5. A device according to claim 3 and said hurdles spaced transversely of the movement of said surface a suicient distance therebetween to prevent the material from bridging the spaces therebetween as it is swept by said members thereacross.

6. A device according to claim 3 and means adjustably mounting each hurdle for positioning the same closer or farther as respects to said surface. t

7. A sorting device for harvested potatoes and the like adapted to receive thereon rocks and clods of earth and other debris along with the .potatoes to be separated therefrom, comprising a platform having laterally spaced sides and longitudinally spaced ends and further having a rectilinear4 movable substantially flat surface adapted to receive near one end and at one side of the platform material deposited thereon and to advance the material toward the other end of the platform, a framework carried by the platform, a separator comprising a plurality of laterally spaced shafts mounted on the framework above the platform generally parallel thereto, sprockets keyed to the shafts, a ail assembly comprising endless chains encircling both shafts and trained about companion sprockets of respective shafts, a plurality of cross-mem- 4 bers interconnecting the chains, a plurality of outstandp ing flexible ilails on each cross-member of a character sufyond a predetermined magnitude, said flail assembly having a stretch disposed intermediate the ends of saidassembly angularly to the direction of movement of said surface thereabove and movable across said surface from said one side to the opposite side thereof, said flails depending from said stretch to adjacent said surface and adapted to brush through the material and sweep out the potatoes Atherefrom by rolling them transversely across said"surface,` 4

p Asorting;devies-tending to dem fue said nari the spacing between adjacent ails progressivelyl increasing from said rst toward said second side of said assembly.

9. A vsorting device according to claim 8 and a baille carried by the platform at said one end thereof and extending angularly across said surface from said opposite side of the surface to adjacent said one side of said surface in converging relationship therewith toward said other end of said surface and `positioned inintercepting relationship'to the material moving from said one end of said surface and under. said separator to funnel the ma- Vferial toward said one side of said surface.

10Q A sorting device for harvestedV potatoes adapted to receive thereupon stones and clods of earthV and other debris along with the potatoesV to be separated therefrom, comprising a platform'member having a moving surface adapted to advance the material in a given direction, means associated with said platform member for selec- Y tively intercepting the potatoes thereon and moving them laterally of said platform off one edge thereofpand a hurdle supported above `thev surface and elongated Vgenerally in said given direction of movement of the surface and having a margin remote from the surface disposed at a distance therefrom less than the transverse dimension of potatoes intended to hurdle the same for permitting such potatoes to roll thereover said hurdle positioned before-said edge and athwart as respect to the'direction of movement of the potatoes by said means.

11. In a'sorting device," an endless tlail assembly having a rectilinear run, a supporting fram eworl: for the assembly comprising a pair of beams at opposite sides of said run, and a series of U-shaped hurdle members carried upon the framework and each comprising a pair of legsV and an intermediate bight portion extending transversely to said runof said flail assembly in obstructing relationship to the peripheral sweep of the flails thereof, and'said legs connected to respective beams.

l2. In a sorting device according to claim ll, and aV parallelogram linkage supporting said hurdle-'members on the-framework for positioning the members-with their portions closer or farther with respect path of said ail assembly in said run.

13, A sorting device comprising a platform having an endless apron presenting a run adaptedV to receive an aggregate of stones, and dirt and other-debris' along with potatoes to be separated therefrom, means for moving said apron in a given direction .for transporting the aggregate thereon from one end toward the other thereof, a separator'snperposed with respect to said apron between said ends' and comprising means having a length extending transversely of said apron and having a plurality of depending ngers disposed to comb through the aggregate passing therebeneath, means for moving said fingers along said length in Va direction from one lateral edge of said apron toward the other. for combing potatoes out of the aggregate'vby rollingl them Vlaterally of the apron toward said other edge thereof, means pivotally supporting `said separator on an axis extending transversely of said length` thereof, and means for selectively swinging said separatorV to a plurality of angular positions with respect to the plane of said run of said apron transversely thereof whereby said separator along said length may be disposed parallel to said run of said apron so'that all of said fingers have their lower extremities spaced substantially the same distance to said run for dragging ,potatoes through an aggregate of heavy mass or said length may be disposed at an upward inclination toward said other Vedge of the apron so that the lower ends of the ngers to the peripheralV Y spaced longitudinally thereof, an endless drive assembly adjacent said one edge of the run are disposed closest to '8 theapronfand increasingly 'spaced' toward the said other edge*wherebyinconditiens of an aggregatelight mass the potatoes. are lightly pushed across the apron.

14. A separating mechanism comprisingV a conveyor having receiving and `delivery ends anda sorting mechanism superposed with respect to the conveyor and hav-V end of the conveyor and in lesser density adjacentrthel delivery end of the conveyor and said fingers having support points substantially more closely spaced at the re' ceiving end than at said deliveryV endv and said fingers having operative ends spaced farther apart at the delivery end of the conveyor than at the receiving -end whereby said mechanism is more aggressive in spreading and combing through the material laterally of the conveyor adjacent said receiving end and less so at the delivery end of the conveyor.

15.V A sorting device for harvested potatoes and the likeadapted to'receiv'e thereon rocks and clods of earth and other debris along with the potatoes to be separated therefrom, comprising a platform member having opposite lateral edges and a surface therebetween adapted Vto advance the material thereonrfrom one area to another mounted upon the platform over said surface and having a path moving in a direction angularly'as respects the direction of movement of said surface and comprising a Vseriesof outwardly Yprojecting flexible members, said assembly having a rectilinear length disposed above said surface between said areas and extending from one lateral Vedge to theY other-and thev members thereof along said length extending toward said surface in combing relation lwith and in the path of thematerial' deposited upon the moving j surface of Vthe platform member, said endless assembly having an extensive active quadrangular area Valong Vsaid length superposed with respect to said surface and extending dimensionally parallel with and transversely to saidVV direction of movementV of said surface, means moving said lingersfthe entire width of the conveyor, and said quadrangular area extending entirely across the width of the conveyor and the width of said' quadrangular area being substantially equal to the width ofthe conveyor and the lengthof the quadrangular area being at least equal to the width, said fingers moving at a velocity such asto drag andrroll the potatoes in a direction transvesre to theV direction of travel of the platform surface for the major portion of the width of said surface upon engagement of the members of the assembly with the potatoes in the material-passingtherebeneath, and said fingers under static condition spaced farther apart adjacent to said otheraiea of the conveyor and closer adjacent'to said one area of the conveyor.

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